The Writing of my first novel

When I wrote “The Alternative” I felt as though I was being guided by the Divine. As I wrote each chapter it was more like I was reading a good novel. I did not know what my characters would do next and I only had a vague idea of the final outcome.

I did much research into the conditions of slavery and I wanted to paint a clear picture of what it would be like to be a slave during the first half of the 19^th century. One theme that reoccurred during research was the idea that many masters acted as their own stud when breeding slaves. I examined how this would affect the daughter of such a slave master. I had invented Mr. Lancer as a very evil man and I did not know how evil he was until near the end of the novel. His daughter had witnessed terrible behavior from her father, but it was later on that she, and I, discovered more heinous acts that he had performed before she was born. Surely this man was beyond redemption, but the plot took still more surprising turns. Could someone so evil ever have such a change of heart or was the goodness of a dying man simply an attempt to buy his way into Heaven? His family and his former slaves had to deal with such a dilemma. The readers are free to draw their own conclusions.

As I examined the conditions that led up to the USA civil war I was often reminded of the final note left by John Brown as he was being led to his execution. On  Dec 2, 1859, he wrote;

American Holocaust

Learning from the American Holocaust

When we mention “holocaust” we immediately think about Germany and World War Two. However there was another more severe and widespread holocaust that we are just starting to hear about.

Why does the German Holocaust get so much attention? Because Germany lost the war. Had they won we would be praising Hitler and the Nazi regime for their great effort of advancing the human species. Hitler’s idea was to speed up evolution by eliminating inferior races. Fortunately the rest of the world did not agree to his methods or even to the idea of an inferior race. The world war put a stop to ethnic cleansing.

If we now talk about the American holocaust it makes many people very uncomfortable. The terror of this holocaust lasted for more than 400 years. It is the ultimate story of bullying. A warring people invaded a relatively peaceful land and destroyed many ethnicities that had not advanced war strategies or weapons enough to defend themselves. The Americas at that time was the home of many nations. Although there was some conflict among them as they jostled for territory, they had no need to develop weapons past the point of bows, arrows and spears. These were mostly used to hunt for food but could be used for self defence when needed. The conquerors regarded these peaceful ones as savages when they put up a fight of self preservation and used that as an excuse to use their gunpowder and rifles to destroy  defenceless nations.

With complete victory over the rightful citizens, the Europeans began to fight among themselves. Now they were fighting on equal terms and sought an advantage. The original inhabitants of the land had a better knowledge of the territory and also used strategies unfamiliar to the Europeans. They had proved themselves in bravery and methods by the amount of resistance they gave the intruders using their simple weapons. The conquerors now used empty promises and outright lies to convince unsuspecting nations to join them in their effort to defeat competing European nations so they could lay solitary claim to this stolen land.

Meanwhile, the work of imposing European culture on a foreign land required much labour. An attempt was made to enslave the local people, but there were still friends and family that would help them to escape, so they turned to other nations to enslave and bring to America. The American nations had faced death to a point near extinction, but the African slaves had to endure a living hell. Murder was again used as a tool, but not to bring the race to extinction. Hellish ordeals were devised to force them into submission. A man would be selected and his four limbs would be bound to four horses. The horses would then be sent in different directions, tearing the body apart. This was done in front of other stolen bodies to show them what would happen if they did not do as their masters directed. Hard labour with insufficient food and rest took a toll of many lives, but not satisfied with that alone, these nations were subject to torture, rape and murder with no recourse. The law was on the side of the masters and any resistance was written into the law as a crime. They were regarded as possessions with no rights of their own and completely at the mercy of those who possessed them.

This holocaust we are not to talk about, because the decedents of the perpetrators are still living and in power. We do not want to embarrass the many European nations that played a part of this beastly terror. And what of the new nations of the Americas that were formed by these European renegades? They have become some of the most powerful in the world. How can we now tell them that the butchery and terrorism that they engaged in to earn their position was wrong? If they must correct for the wrongdoing of their ancestors, they may have to admit that exploitation in all forms is wrong, and if the rich cannot exploit the poor, the whole social system would be upset.

The eight richest people have as much wealth as half of the world’s poorest people. Thus, if we could find some equitable way to alleviate these eight people of this great burden by using half of what they own, almost four billion of the world’s poorest citizens could have twice as much. This is oversimplified and you know these rich ones are not going to hand over half or their riches without just cause. What we need is a new system that is not based on materialism, greed and exploitation. We must find new ways to evaluate ourselves without the need to put a monitory value on our net worth.

It was due to this view of our current situation that I wrote the fictional history, “THE ALTERNATIVE”. I regarded slavery as an extreme form of exploitation and showed how this system was not only hurting the slaves, but it was holding back the whole society. I didn’t base this on my own speculation, but studied the lives and writings of some of the wisest men and women of that time era. By suggesting an alternative to written history I was hopeful that errors in our current system could be corrected.

During slavery, much of the worlds brain power was kept in ignorance slowing down the rate of useful inventions. If the American elite had not engaged in this evil practice, technology could have developed sooner and better.

Today we see another form of exploitation were the rich try to maintain their wealth by keeping others poor. Since it is more difficult for a poor person to engage in higher education, the social elite widen the gap between themselves and the common workingman. Although the poor are given handouts to keep them alive, they are not given much opportunity for advancement.

Natural laws have a way of finding an equilibrium. Although man has a way of manipulating nature, humanity is not exempt from natural law. The system of the materialist puts power in money, but money is already losing its power. One hundred years ago two cents would buy a loaf of bread. Fifty years ago twenty cents had the same power. Now we need to search to find bread at $2.50 a loaf. The penny of one hundred years ago held more power than the dollar of today, but that is not the end, it is just a warning.

People are survivors and, if they cannot get by in one system, they will find another way to survive. When the freed slaves were struggling in an economic system that wanted to exclude them, they formed cooperatives and helped each other get by and succeed. In the same way, if those who control the money lock out those in poverty, they will develop a new way to survive and find new ways to measure success. Money has already taken a big hit and it will not take much more to render it of no value. Even when the gold standard was in effect, the gold only had such value as people assigned to it. Now, being replaced with paper, plastic and electronic bank legers, the value of money is at the whim of those who use it. If one segment of society has too much while another does not have enough, it will not take much for it to mean absolutely nothing. Suddenly the playing field will be given a new set of rules and those who produce what can be eaten will have the power. Money was only used as a standard of exchange to purchase our needs. If it no longer does that it will become useless and people will put value on things that are more tangible.

Frederick Douglass

Sir, the Americans may tell of their ability, and I have no doubt they have it, to keep back the invader's hosts, to repulse the strongest force that its enemies may send against this country. It may boast, and rightly boast of its capacity to build its ramparts so high that no foe can hope to scale them—to render them so impregnable as to defy the assaults of the world. But, sir, there is one thing it cannot resist, come from what quarter it may. It cannot resist TRUTH. You cannot build your forts so strong, nor your ramparts so high, nor arm yourselves so powerfully, as to be able to withstand the overwhelming MORAL SENTIMENT against Slavery now flowing into this land. For example: Prejudice against Color is continually becoming weaker in this land; and why? Because the whole European Continent denounces this sentiment as unworthy a lodgment in the breast of an enlightened community. And the American abroad dares not now, even in a public conveyance, to lift his voice in defense of this disgusting prejudice.

 

(Douglass, Frederick (2011-03-30). Abolition Fanaticism in New York Speech of a Runaway Slave from Baltimore, at an Abolition Meeting in New York, Held May 11, 1847 (Kindle Locations 85-92).  . Kindle Edition.)

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  (John 8: 31, 32)

 

Ignorance breeds slavery. Knowledge set you free. Ignorance believes in many falsehoods. Knowledge is knowing what is TRUE.

Frederick Douglass knew at a very young age that education was the way to get out of slavery. The Slave holders saw this knowledge as a devil. Douglass was known as a good worker, but education had put the devil in him according to those who would own his soul. It was education, knowledge of the truth, that made Douglass aware that he was a man and therefore could not be owned by another man. He would give of his body and work for those who held a paper saying he was their chattel, but his soul he would not give. His body suffered many whippings and he was afflicted to the point of death, and it was accepting death that made him free. The fear of death had made him a slave. Now, knowing truth, he no longer feared death, so he could no longer be whipped into submission.

So education led Frederick Douglass to know the TRUTH and that TRUTH set him free. Divine providence was on his side. He knew it and lived a life that no fiction writer could have made up. Almost starved and whipped to death as a slave, Frederick Douglass went on to be an advisor to presidents of the United States. He became friend and helper of the oppressed and led the slave masters as well as the slaves out of the system of slavery. It was that system that was his enemy. He told his former owner that the slave master was as much a victim of the system as was the slave. Douglass and Auld were both victims. One was made to bear the lash, the other was made to wield the lash.

The Slave was denied education. It was feared that if he should learn the truth he would no longer be content being a slave. The slave master denied truth. Although he had access to education he refused to see any way except the way of slavery. He attempted to justify an unjust system and truth would not let him do that. Being thus blinded he made himself a victim of the slavery system.

The brilliant mind of Frederick Douglass could see the danger of slavery. Frederick Douglass was for the people and against slavery. He pleaded with the slave holders, not only for his sake and the sake of those like him, but for the very soul of the slave holder himself. In his letter to Thomas Auld, his old master he expressed a wish to have Auld as a guest in his house so he could show him by example how one person should treat another person.

Frederick Douglass showed us by example that it is better to attack a problem than to attack a person. He abhorred the practice of slavery and would do anything to rid the world of its evil influence but his goal was not revenge, but to free both slave holder and slave from the fetters of slavery.

As Douglass entered the field of politics he was far advanced from the time he lived, even far advanced of the present time. We still see politicians attacking each other to the extent that the public has lost confidence in the system. Newspapers know that conflict sells and they give priority to the dirty deeds. Douglass could disagree with the position a politician would take while still considering him a friend. We do not have to agree on everything, but we can discuss our differences in a friendly manner. If the presidents that Douglass was advising could have seen the wisdom of this approach we could have had a very different kind of politics today. Imagine politicians praising one another’s attributes while encouraging each other to do better. We could have solved every difficulty in the world by now and eliminated any excuse for war. This will be the way of the future. The survival of the world depends upon it.

I praise Frederick Douglass, not as a prophet, but as a man put on earth to do a job. God placed him in time and place where he could do the most good. Being an ordinary man, his abilities are not above our own, and we can all do similar works. We have but to take up TRUTH as a cause and treat it as our best friend. When we come across evil and falsehood, we need to shine the light of Truth on it. A light appears brightest we it shines in the darkest recesses. Frederick Douglass was a shining light during one of the darkest times in our history.